Pau Gasol found out earlier Thursday that he wasn't named an All-Star reserve, and came out Thursday night and played perhaps his finest game of the season. Gasol scored 25 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, and blocked a Ray Allen layup attempt at the buzzer, securing a 88-87 win for the Los Angeles Lakers over the Boston Celtics in overtime Thursday night at TD Garden in Boston.
The game was at times ugly but was nonetheless exciting as the two teams stayed close for most of their 53 minutes on the court. Kobe Bryant scored 27 points for the Lakers, and Andrew Bynum had 16 points and 17 rebounds for the Lakers, who had 15 offensive rebounds on the night.
The Lakers used a 10-2 run to close out the third quarter to take a three-point lead. A back-and-forth fourth quarter culminated with the Celtics having a two-point lead in the final minute, but Gasol tied the game with a putback layup with 9.8 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
Paul Pierce nearly had a triple-double for the Celtics with 18 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists, and had a 19-foot jumper that would have won the game in the final seconds of overtime. His shot rimmed out and went to Allen, who had his layup attempt blocked by Gasol. Allen ended with 22 points for Boston.
The Lakers improved to 2-2 on their six-game road trip and won their fourth consecutive regular season game in Boston. The Lakers head to New York to battle the Knicks on Friday night at Madison Square Garden.
For more Lakers news and information, be sure to read Silver Screen and Roll.